FAQs

If you don't find the answer to your question, please contact the Digimap for Colleges Helpdesk at edina@ed.ac.uk or 0131 650 3302 (Mon - Fri, 9am-5pm).

How do I use Digimap for Colleges?

Subscription
To use Digimap for Colleges, your FE institution must be subscribed to the service. A list of currently subscribed FE institutions can be viewed here. If your FE institution is not listed, then please speak to the elearning resource manager or librarian at your FE institution. The service is free, but someone responsible for subscribing to services via the Jisc Collections catalogue must request the subscription. Only those FE institutions on the Jisc FE Banding list are eligible to subscribe. If your FE institution does not appear on the list please contact the Jisc Collections Helpdesk.

Access
Digimap for Colleges authentication is IP based, which means if you are on campus you will be able to go directly to the service and start using it. If you are off campus (at home or elsewhere) you will need to remotely connect to your college network using something like EZProxy or a VPN. If your FE institution does not use a VPN or EZProxy, you will only be able to access Digimap for Colleges while on campus.

Web browser
Digimap for Colleges is designed to work on the most up date web browsers. Please ensure you are using the most up to date version of Internet Explorer, Chrome, FireFox or Safari. Digimap for Colleges is also touch enabled to work on Safari on iPads running the latest iOS.

Getting started
For help getting started with Digimap for Colleges, please watch our How to..... videos.

What can you do with Digimap for Colleges?

Digimap for Colleges can be used in a range of subjects and courses for any task that requires a map. You can use Digimap for Colleges to create land use surveys of your local high street. Use the Annotation Tools to add coloured areas to map to represent different types of land use and building type. Plot transport routes to work out the safest and most efficient way to travel to a venue, walk to college, plan sustainable transport networks or create an orienteering route. The range of maps can also be used to help decide where to locate a new business like a hairdressers, beauty salon or cake shop.

For more examples and ideas for using Digimap for Colleges, please take a look at the Resources page.

Maps
A range of Ordnance Survey digital maps are provided in Digimap for Colleges, covering the whole of GB. Included are the most detailed maps OS make which show building outlines. These maps are suited to being used for local area studies, studying land use on the high street, locating businesses or planning a new construction site. You will also find digital versions of traditional OS maps that are commonly used for hill walking and outdoor activities, as well as street-level, road-atlas style and regional maps.

Tools
The maps are complemented by a range of tools that allow you to enhance the maps.
Measurement tools – use the measurement tools to measure distances and areas. Distances can be measured in KM or Miles.
Annotation Tools – a comprehensive set of annotation tools that you can use to add points, lines, areas, text, photos and graphs to your map. The Buffer Tool allows you to show on the map areas that are a fixed distance from a point or a long a line. This is great for looking at the proximity of a new building, windfarm, road or investigating the impact of flooding.
Save – save any maps that you create to come back to later.
Print – create printable PDF or JPG maps. Printable maps can be printed to make hard copies, saved to a computer drive or dropped into a presentation or report.